My paintings usually reflect what I feel about something I see in nature; often these paintings are somewhat abstract. Sometimes I begin a painting by putting marks on the canvas and see where they lead me. The marks or images that are in my subconscious end up on the canvas and also may be abstract or semi abstract. I think of my art as expressionistic. By using color, texture, line, movement, etc., I hope to make paintings to which people will respond to emotionally. Music often speaks to and connects with people on an emotional level: you may not know exactly why you like a piece, you just know that you do. That is what I hope will happen with my paintings. In my mind, you do not have to explain why you like a piece of art.

--Evalyn VerHey

www.evalynverhey.com

evalynverhey.blogspot.com

I love to paint and my paintings are a response to a visual situation I find in nature. Sometimes I just start a painting by putting marks on a canvas and see where it leads me.

The other day there was a tiny damsel fly on my dashboard. It was exquisite, and every time I came to a stop light I studied it and thought about the fact that this tiny creature was created by a God who was truly a master artist. When I paint I try to put down what I feel about something I see; and, I use color, texture, and the other art elements that hopefully will come togther to make a successful painting. (At a long light I gently pushed the damsel fly out the window and hoped he made a safe getaway.)

Although I was interested in art and making things as a child and teenager, I had no way to study this either at school or in private lessons. It wasn’t until I started my first job right out of high school that I was introduced to it as a field of study. I had to ride a train to and from work each day and to pass the time, I stopped in the train station and bought a paperback book. It happened to be about the French Impressionist. That was the the beginning of my interest in becoming an artist, although it took a while for that to happen. I was already married and had one child on the way. My husband was a full time student. After he completed graduate school, received a doctorate in English, and started teaching at a University, I started working on my art degree. By then we had two children.

I continued my painting studies and received an MFA in painting from the University of Kentucky. Although I also wished to teach, I took a job as a designer at Kentucky State University, and worked there the next eighteen years. During that time I continued to work on my own artwork, entered competitions, and participated in solo and group art shows.

In 1998 my husband retired and we moved to Florida. I immediately began teaching middle and high school art at a charter school. To teach, I had to take classes in order to earn a Florida teaching certificate. This I did and later taught at a private school. In 2014 I retired from teaching.

I now work on my artwork full time, enter shows and competitions. I have a gallery in Bloomington Indiana--The Venue--representing me; also I am represented by Xanadu Art Studios, xanadugallery.com. My husband and I live in central Florida and visit our children and their families in Grand Rapids, Michigan and also in Bloomington, Indiana.

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“Evalyn VerHey is a fine teacher and a skilled artist. Her draftsmanship is superb, and her visual sense of color and balance is remarkable. I am proud to have several pieces of hers in my collection.” --Paul Hughes, Dir. Of Fine Arts, ASA, Winter Haven, FL

“VerHey’s work is a featured piece in both of my homes. I have three pieces, and people always comment on the work ask who the artist is.” –Carol DeJong, Chicago

“I have two paintings by Evalyn VerHey; they take me back to another time in my life. Both pieces make a statement and reflect a feeling that I connect with.”—Ms. Allie, Lakeland, FL

“Her paintings have a calming effect; they help me take a step back and look at things in a different light; they have enriched my life.”—Illinois Collector